Stolen-mail Probe Leads To 6 Teens

January 15, 2000

BARRINGTON HILLS — Six teenagers face theft charges after a five-month investigation by local police into the theft of mail from homes throughout the Barrington area, U.S. Postal Service officials said Friday.

The teenagers, all from Palatine, were arrested last week and are awaiting a Feb. 15 hearing in the Rolling Meadows Courthouse. Each has been cited for theft under local ordinance in Barrington Hills, said David Colen, U.S. postal inspector.

They are accused of stealing from mailboxes as many as 100 times between July and late December. In most instances, Colen alleged, the teens would spot houses with curbside mailboxes in which the mail would sit for a day or more. The group would pick through the mail looking for cash. In all, Colen said the teens got $100 or less in cash.